Boats and quad bikes to get children to school

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) donated two fibreglass banana boats complete with outboard motors and two quad bikes costing a total of Vt3.6 million to the Government of Vanuatu Wednesday afternoon.

The donations will be used under a program to provide birth registration for children so they can attend preschool and then of course to further schooling.

The gifts were received at the ceremony at Fibreglass Vanuatu on the Mele Road by the Minister of Education and Training, Jean-Pierre Nirua, on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Training and Civil Status Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from Andrew Parker, the Chief of Vanuatu Field Office for UNICEF in Port Vila.

Also represented at the ceremony were the Director of the Department of Civil Status, Joe Johnson Iati, and the Deputy Director Ethienne Ravo, and representatives of the suppliers, Fibreglass Vanuatu Limited who supplied the 7-metre long banana boats complete with 40 horsepower outboard engines and On Wheels who supplied the quad bikes.

Andrew Park said at the ceremony that UNICEF was proud to have been supporting education around the world including Vanuatu.

“Our support is to reinforce quality access to early childhood care and education and also at primary schools, he added.

“86% of enrollment in primary schools is very good and learning will greatly improve if we improve investments on kindergartens,” he said

Minister of Education Nirua expressed his ministry’s and government’s appreciation to Parker and UNICEF for their ongoing support, particularly for this latest assistance to support early education for children in Vanuatu.

He said last week he visited Epi and the Shepherd Islands and his main message was Government’s commitment to early education for children and added that government is working on a new policy for preschools that will see government pay preschool teachers, something which is long overdue.

“My ministry will work together with other ministries for the welfare of the children and now we wish to reinforce our commitment to early education development for the country.”

He assured UNICEF the donations will be used to serve their purpose, which is to improve the registration of children in the country.

All the donations will be based at the provincial education offices. One boat will go to Penama, the other one to Torba Province, while one quad bike will go to Malampa and the other one to Tafea.

Since Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015, civil status registered 226,000 people, which is around 80% of the population, and represents 70,000 children. The registration of people in Vanuatu improves planning and helps government to make sure everyone receives basic services including education.

UNICEF is a United Nations (UN) programme headquartered in New York, that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.